Backyard Family Time

I loved taking photos of this Mount Pleasant family. The kids were comfortable at home (and with the camera) and their young daughter was just getting the hang of sitting up. She looked adorable in her red checked dress! I love how the carrot, fresh-picked from their garden, became part of the family for the afternoon.

Bookworm, Just Like Mom

Thank you Mom. Thank you so much for reading, and helping me fall in love with words, sentences and stories.

Fiction, non-fiction, books, magazines, poetry, graffiti, newspapers, letters, emails, whatever.

Thank you for taking me to the Burnaby Public Library when I was little and getting me my own library card. I remember you telling me how important is was to have my own card. My own signature on it. Thank you for encouraging me to join the summer reading club. I can still visualize the list I wrote of all the books I read that summer. Thank you for sharing the yellow loveseat at home with me - you on one end reading your book and me the other side reading mine.

Thank you for volunteering at my elementary school library every week. I loved seeing you there and I love you for that. Thank you for having a bookshelf at home, and even though I kinda cringe at the Stephen King / Danielle Steele genre of books I used to devour (think Grade 8 here, folks, a long time ago) those books gave me the impetus to explore fiction of a better calibre once I gained my own literary consciousness. Perhaps most importantly, thank you for making the written word such a big part of your life, even now reading voraciously and continuing to volunteer at your community library, fixing and shelving books.

Because of you reading is a big part of my life. I love words because you showed me how to fall in love with them. It has shaped who I am. 

Today is for you.

I have always wanted to follow in your foot steps and volunteer at my son's library. Well, Paris is now in grade 12 and I kinda missed that boat. This is the last year of Kje in elementary school and my last chance. Also, it was one of those things on my Turning 40 list of things to do that make me happy. 

Today, at 12:15pm I walked into Kje's school library and there he was, checking out some books with the rest of his class. It was my first weekly shift as the volunteer librarian (well, more like volunteer book-shelver). He looked so happy to see me. All his friends came over to say hi, too.

It felt so good to start something I have wanted to do for so long. I stacked 521.3 between 521.2 and 523, and sorted primary books by last name SEU, MAU, DAH.

A blonde boy asked me to help him find a book on cars. We looked together. A cute girl in a pretty dress wanted a princess book but every time I found one for her she said “No, I don’t want that one.” I put books back in their place for lots of small hands. The whole thing made me smile.

Thanks Mom. I am already looking forward to next week.

Erin & Kevin Wedding Bliss

We were walking to another photo shoot site when I overheard Kevin say to his new bride "It was the best idea to come here. It's been perfect." Kevin was talking about getting married at Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort & Spa in Osoyoos, BC. He was talking about the resort, the abundant sunshine, the spectacular lakeview, the party pool, the guys golf game, the award-winning winery, the wine, more wine. Family, friends. Erin, her wedding dress. Everything . . . He was right.

When I did the engagement photos for Erin & Kevin, I was amazed at how natural they were in front of the camera. They made the wedding shoot even easier. Here are a few of my favourites.

Bangs and a bad camera

When I took my photography course at Emily Carr University of Art + Design (many haircuts ago back when it was a college) I was told by my instructor that at some point in time every photographer conducts a photo shoot with themselves as the subject. One girl in the class handed in a portfolio of herself in her bedroom for our first assignment. (Yes, she had clothes on and yes, she looked like she wanted to take them off. I must admit, in this age of internet porn and public Facebook profile pictures, I still worry about her.)

I cut my bangs a few weeks ago. I was inspired by a woman I met who I liked who had hair I loved. Especially her bangs, I loved her bangs. I went home that night and hacked my locks off with a pair of bad eggshell-blue scissors. My friends who live far, far away, asked to see photos.

I often tell people it is the eye and light that makes a good photo, not the camera. I tell the story of a photogapher (forgot his name, can't find it) who was hired by a cell phone company to travel the USA and take just one picture a day with his cell phone for one year and share it with the world. He managed to get some amazing images without the use of a professional camera. ( FYI, I am for hire and come with an RV if needed to travel across BC or Canada and will share one picture a day, two, three, whatever.... just saying.)

So, here we are. A few photos from my very first self portrait series, taken of my new bangs, using my crappy Skype camera.

p.s. the first person who saw my new photos via Skype said I look like Joan Jett. Nice....

Pondering Paris

Today was the first day of the last year of high school for my older son. I just looked through his school's online calendar and put all the pro-d days and report card days and band concert days into my calendar, too. I must admit, it felt pretty weird to add "Grad Dinner Dance" to an upcoming Friday night. (Yes, at the moment 2012 feels "upcoming".)

I wonder what he will wear to his prom. I am thinking a green Wilco t-shirt and wool Irish cap. Perhaps with a black suit jacket and black pants, a cotton handkerchief peeking out of a pocket somewhere. His signature grey canvas sneakers. I wonder if this will be one of those dinner dances where parents are invited. I wonder if there will be live music and if Public Access will play Bright Side or End of Yesterday.

Last night was his first grad party, a camp out at school, cut short when the police broke it up at one o'clock a.m. due to excessive noise.

I wonder where life will lead him, starting the day after the last day of the last year of school.

Tiny Wet Beads

After just finishing Holy Skirts, a fictional novel about Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven -- poet, avant-garde and woman extraordinaire -- I was thrilled to hear Kje speak poetically to me this morning as I was dropping him off at a friend's house.

I had to write it down.


I love these days,

warm days when my hair is wet.

I shake my head back and forth

and back and forth

and stick my hands in the middle where

tiny wet beads of water hit all over. 

Turning 40 for Real This Time

And yep, the big day was upon me. Not the birthday year, but the birthday day. Saturday night. June 18. Officially, the cake came out. Two candles. 4 on fire... 0 on fire... I only blew one out to prove I have a boyfriend... (well, actually I married him ten years ago, but I think that still counts).

The party was perfect - a backyard BBQ get together with family - complete with a few of my favourite things:

• My Family
• A special performance from two of my nieces as they danced to "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond...just for me!
• Punching balloons all around
• Barefoot kids running around chasing each other
• Riesling... a few glasses at that
• Christmas lights, patio lanterns, Chinese paper lamps and torch lights all over the backyard
• My very own PARTY TIME plastic shot-glass-around-the-neck necklace
• Pinata full of candy and toys for the kids to whack at
• Pinata full of candy and miniature liquor bottles for the adults to whack at
• Fire pit surrounded by deck chairs...perfect set up for great chats and lots of laughs all night long
• Adults eating candy and passing around mini bottles of Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey (tastes like heaven, burns like hell...)
• My brother's signature appetizer (my favourite) made from smoked salmon, cream cheese and buckwheat crepes
• Cheese puffs and salt & vinegar chips (um... actually, don't really remember if there were any...)
• My Mom's famous lemon cake AND she made two!
• My sister-in-law's famous chocolate flourless cake!
• Music... all my favourites, perfect backdrop
• Sparklers
• Dancing with Dad to an oldie but goodie
• A crazy white and red feather hat, wacky green sunglasses and a blue boa, just to remind me that I am 40 and my parent's daughter
• A light rain and warm, cozy sweaters to keep the chill out
• Pottery for my collection
• My very own sparkly, twirly baton with tassels
• Hugs and kisses from everyone

The best present was that I didn't have to organize anything, decorate anything, cook anything, clean anything or drive myself home. Ah..... bliss.

So, did I feel any older?  My son Paris was my designated driver for the first time ever, so that was kinda weird and wonderful at the same time and yes, while sitting in the back seat I did reflect on the fact that at one time, a long long time ago, he was just learning to walk and now he's driving and that transformation doesn't happen overnight.  But after celebrating my birthday year for six months and 17 days already, the actual day felt a bit like a water station half way through a marathon (not that I have ever run a marathon or plan to, but you get the point, right?).

It was just a day to celebrate all that has been and all that will be. And what a perfect way to do that! And so.... on to the rest of my Turning 40 year. This is when the fun really begins...